Potter’s coaching journey is extensive, from guiding Ghana’s women’s team to mentoring university squads, navigating English non-league football, and leading Swedish semi-professionals. His spells at Swansea and Brighton were respectable, if not enchanting. Yet, for those who believed he conjured brilliance at Brighton, it’s worth noting that his successor, Roberto De Zerbi, crafted a side far more dynamic and exciting.
Graham Potter answers questions at West Ham news conference
Potter has struggled at West Ham
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Wizard Potter to the West Ham rescue
By January 2025, Potter resurfaced at West Ham, claiming to have waited for the “right opportunity” though many suspected Chelsea’s ongoing compensation had kept him comfortably sidelined. With wizard-like finesse, he transformed a modest six-month offer into a two and a half year venture. Doubters were charmed, and co-chairman David Sullivan embraced the narrative. Karen Brady cast Potter as West Ham’s “Saviour,” despite the fact that he ended the season in the same 14th-place position that had cost Julen Lopetegui his job.
The words “project” and “time” became the mantra, repeated with almost religious fervour. But for all the talk of transformation, six wins in 24 matches hardly reflect the work of a sorcerer. The crowd, once spellbound, is growing restless, and still waiting for the failed magician to be thrown out of the magic circle.
Should that happen for a club already vocal about PSR issues, Graham Potter will be paid off after another doomed spell. On a reported annual salary of £3.2m rising to £4.5m with bonuses, he is far from one of the highest paid managers in the Premier League, yet having recently forked out compensation for Julen Lopetegui, the next appointment must be the right one!